This tartan is only made by House of Edgar and is part of their “Old and Rare” tartan line. It is not an old tartan (designed in the 1930s), but is rather rare since most Burns wear the Burns Check tartan or the Campbell Clan tartan, as the Burns family is an associated family of the Campbell Clan.

My Tartan Search
When my parents visited Burns country during the mid-1990s, they brought me a Campbell Clan tam as a souvenir. They were unable to find the Burns tartan even within Burns country. Later, in the summer of 2005, after being inspired by a Scottish festival, I began searching for the mysterious Burns tartan.

I found an American importer of Scottish tartans in 2008 who informed me that the mill had only 3 pieces of fabric left in the double-width, one piece was 1.7 yds and the other two pieces were 1.2 yds each. After purchasing the largest piece, my family tartan has been carefully stored in a very special, safe place, thereby preventing anyone from actually appreciate it.

I want to wear it and appreciate it, but I am terrified of cutting it.

What’s it really like, this tartan?
This tartan is a mediumweight 100% Pure New Wool kilting cloth. The tartan itself is 4 colors – red, blue, yellow, green – woven in an even plaid. An even plaid has the same woven striped sequence running in both horizontal and vertical directions, so I have a small advantage with this tartan since even plaids are easier to work with OR SO THEY SAY.

When folded diagonally, an even plaid will line up perfectly.

My Pattern Selection
Today, on the 201st anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth, I declare that I will use and appreciate this tartan this year. I’m thinking of a pencil skirt, with bias-cut side panels. The current (February 2010) issue of Burda has a skirt that just might work. I’ll work on cutting out the pattern tissue and muslin now.

Initially I found a free baby pinafore pattern, but after I printed and cut out the pattern tissue, I couldn’t tell if it would be big enough or not. So I decided to take the safe route and buy a pattern.

I chose the pattern tissue from M2213, view D (in size small) to cut the fabric and the lining, but then I sewed it together as I wanted. The original pattern has open side seams with fabric ties, but I didn’t like that design, so I simply sewed it as a pinafore with buttoned shoulder straps. It took me longer to cut the fabric than to sew it together, but perhaps that’s because I hate cutting out fabric. The odd thing is, I hate cutting out fabric so much that I often put the project aside indefinitely after I finish cutting because I am so sick of it by that point. Maybe I hate cutting because I have so many projects cut but never sewn!

The lining is a lightweight cotton gingham from my fabric stash. Although it doesn’t exactly match, I decided it was unlikely people would notice the lining. I had some cute baby buttons in my button box, but decided to go with the plainest buttons possible: 3/4″ navy blue, shank buttons. Plain definitely looks best, methinks.

I can’t tell you whether or not I’m happy with the finished product since I haven’t seen what it looks like in action, but if it fits properly, I’ll be very happy with it. Her mother says it is still a bit big for her now, so maybe she’ll grow into it by Spring.

It’s such a soft corduroy that I’m tempted to get some more to make something for myself. I have a few scraps left over, so maybe I could put those to good use.

I’ve wandered around Denver, its north metro area (Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Superior), and Boulder. In summary, the good food can be found in lower downtown Denver and in Boulder. We have good shopping right here, down the street, in Broomfield and Superior. From now on I plan to avoid Westminster if possible. A side note here that I was mistaken in thinking that Colorado is a state full of rich, white people.

So what do you want to know about the place? Would you like to know where to peruse a full selection of French magazines in a warm, cozy bookshop? If so, I recommend Tattered Cover Book Store. Would you like to watch a movie at a theater full of teenagers, lacking in sufficient parking, and with an absent valet? If so, then I recommend AMC Westminster Promenade 24. Would you like to have a delicious and authentic Ethiopian supper? Then I recommend Ras Kassa’s Ethiopia Restaurant in Boulder. Would you like to shop for fabric and yarn in a locally owned shop that specializes in eco-friendly and socially conscious yarns? Then I recommend Fancy Tiger Crafts.

Fancy Tiger Crafts, in Denver on the border of Speer and Baker neighborhoods, is a fairly small shop with lots to explore. I especially enjoyed their sewing sections, including lots of books and patterns. They have those really cute Amy Butler patterns which I cannot afford. I loved all their unique and modern oilcloth, so come springtime, I plan to make an outdoor table cloth and chair covers on my balcony café table. For now I purchased some Cascade Yarns Eco Alpaca and a cute, cute, cute yard of pincord corduroy (22 wale per inch), printed with matroiska dolls and ponies. What should I make with my new treasures?

• Project Details:
• Pattern: Vogue 1145 Lynn Mizono designed Misses Jacket and Pants
• Fabric: fleece, 4.25 yards!
• Lining: none
• Notions: lots of thread and 2 buttons, 1.125″ diameter



• Pattern Description: Loose fitting jacket with bizarrely short and ill-fitted sleeves which are too large at the top of the arm. It has two patch pockets, each large enough to hold a quart of soy ice cream, and an even more gigantic collar. No hemming is required; edges are finished with machine stitching.
• FO looks like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope? I couldn’t figure out how to place the buttons, so mine does not look like the photo. Also, I think you’d have to have a very specific type of fleece to get the light, flowing look of the pattern envelope photo.



• Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, it was a simple pattern in theory, but the pieces are so enormous that they were difficult to cut out and difficult to maneuver.
• My particular likes / dislikes about the pattern: I liked how quick and simply it is constructed. There were so many edge stitches on this project that I was able to experiment with many of the hundreds of stitches on my machine. I also love that you can wear it back to front for warmth and comfort without having your hands trapped inside so that you can move your arms and use your hands and still be wrapped and warm.



• My pattern alterations / design changes: Although the button placement is marked on the pattern tissue, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so I improvised my button placement.
• Would I sew it again or recommend it to others? nope and no, however I will sell you my pattern for $4 plus postage. I have the XS-S-M envelope and I cut the M size, so all tissues are complete.

Tonight I sported it to Wal-Mart with the thinly veiled objective of getting spotted for The People of WalMart photoblog. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I liked the princess seams and the stitched waist detailing. With ruffles on both sides of the center front and pleated ruffles at the cuffs, I think it could be a fun sewing project.
After getting home, I found a Burda Short Jacket (#102) pattern in the September 2009 issue that will be a good baseline for my purple fleece jacket. Now I need to find some tissue paper and try to figure out how to do this Burda thing.